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Simón Bolívar Fund: Important Information for Student Applicants

Specific Eligibility Criteria for Student Applicants

Current students at the University of Cambridge may apply to the Simón Bolívar Fund for a contribution towards the costs of activities related to research on Latin America, including periods of fieldwork abroad or participation in conferences. Retrospective applications are permitted for activities that have already taken place since the last deadline for applications. There is no fixed limit to the funding that a student may be awarded for such activities over their time in Cambridge, but the awarding committee will aim to allocate funds in an equitable way, taking into account any amounts already awarded to an individual student, relative costs, and other sources of funding that may be available to applicants. Students are also encouraged to apply for funds to support workshops, conferences or other events on Latin America that they plan to organize in Cambridge, and such applications are treated separately on their own merits.

Some restrictions apply, as follows. 

The Simón Bolívar Fund Committee will consider:

  • applications for funding to attend conferences only when the applicant can confirm that s/he is giving a paper at the conference
  • applications for funding to attend conferences from PhD students when a very strong case is made (or if the conference in question is a UK postgraduate conference)
  • applications for fieldwork expenses to non-CLAS PhD students on the condition that they are willing to present their work at the next CLAS PhD Research Day (held approximately every 18 months)
  • applications from CLAS PhD students who are non-native speakers of English to cover half the cost of the University of Cambridge Language Centre’s in-sessional tuition in English for Academic Purposes

The Simón Bolívar Fund Committee will NOT consider:

  • applications from MPhil or first-year PhD students for funding to attend conferences 
  • applications for routine inland research expenses (e.g. trips to the British Library or attendance at a seminar at another university), unless there are exceptional circumstances
  • applications for hardship grants
  • applications to pay speaker fees at conferences (only travel and accommodation expenses will be considered).

Application Deadline

This year's deadline for general applications and a supporting academic reference is Friday, 1 March 2024. 

PDF: 

Microsoft Office document icon Simón Bolívar Fund Application form